Members of this Family are the source of the highly sought ebony wood as well as fruits generally referred to as persimmons.
The family Ebenaceae includes the genera Diospyros, Euclea, Royena and Lissocarpa, found throughout the world’s tropics, subtropics, and some temperate regions. Of the four genera, Diospyros is by far the largest, with an estimated 750—800 species. and the source of the highly sought ebony wood as well as fruits generally referred to as persimmons.
The team’s expertise covers all the diversity hotspots of the genera of Ebenaceae: America, Africa, Madagascar, Asia, and the Pacific. On a global scale, we collaborate with a wide range of experts to understand species delimitations, develop practical and accurate identification tools, and inform conservation.
We are in the process of setting up a Global Conservation Consortium (GCC) for Ebenaceae, with support from BGCI, to formalise and facilitate our conservation work. Similarly, we seek a partnership with World Flora Online for the release of our rigorously curated and authoritative taxonomic data in an accessible and moderated platform, to share our expertise more broadly with the scientific community, and to continue developing a robust network of taxonomic specialists working on the group.
Current TEN Members
- Carmen Puglisi — Missouri Botanical Garden
- Alexander G. Linan ‑Missouri Botanical Garden
- Porter P. Lowry II — Missouri Botanical Garden, & Institut de Systématique, Évolution, et Biodiversité (ISYEB)
- George Gosline — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- Nattanon Meeprom — Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
- Hasina N. Rakouth — Mention Biologie et Écologie Végétales, Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo
- Jordan K. Teisher — Missouri Botanical Garden
- Bruno Wallnöfer — Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria
- Chunyu Zou — Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences
Key Literature
- Linan, A. G., Lowry II, P. P., & Schatz, G. E. (2021). Taxonomic Studies of Diospyros (Ebenaceae) from the Malagasy Region. VII. Revision of Diospyros Sect. Forbesia in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 106(1), 72-110.
- Meeprom, N., Utteridge, T., Culham, A., & Puglisi, C. (2022). Lectotypification of Indochinese Ebenaceae published by PH Lecomte (1925-1930). Adansonia, 44(12), 115-132.
- Puglisi, C., Jimbo, T., & Hagwood, A. (2022). Two new species of Diospyros (Ebenaceae) from New Guinea. Edinburgh Journal of Botany, 79, 1-10.
- Rakouth, H. N., et al. (2023). Taxonomic Studies of Diospyros (Ebenaceae) from the Malagasy Region. IX. Clarification of species limits between D. clusiifolia and D. fuscovelutina, and establishment of a new combination based on a name previously placed in synonymy, Tetraclis baronii. Novon: a journal for botanical nomenclature, 31(1), 156-162.
- Schatz, G. E., Lowry II, P. P., Rakouth, H. N., & Randrianaivo, R. (2021). Taxonomic studies of Diospyros (Ebenaceae) from the Malagasy region. VI. New species of large trees from Madagascar. Candollea, 76(2), 201-236.
- Teisher J.K., M.S. Vorontsova, M. Rabarimanarivo, S. Porembski, P.B. Phillipson. 2022. A taxonomic revision of Styppeiochloa (Arundinoideae: Poaceae) in Madagascar. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 432–446.
- Wallnöfer B. (2023). A revision of neotropical Diospyros (Ebenaceae): part 16. Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, Serie B, 125: 123–143.